p1

p1 is the basis of the presentation. It is the data, the story, the message that the presenter wishes to deliver to the audience. This section covers blog posts that address any part of the construction of p1; taking the “what” of the data and converting it into a “so what” for the particular audience. In particular, this covers audience needs, the value of a single, identifiable message, an elevator pitch, the arc of the story and development of sparklines.

The cornerstone articles on p1 are below but please surf through the links to gain a deeper understanding of why p1 (the story) is the basis of your presentation and must be the starting point in construction.

1.Hysteron proteron – the place to start with a presentation is the message.

2. It is not acceptable or valuable to just talk, you must have a message.

3. The aim and objective of a presentation are not the same thing.

4. The best presentations are planned analog. Shut the laptop and be creative.

5. Consider principally “why” you are presenting, not what to present.

Are you talking to ME?

In the movie “Taxi Driver” Rober de Niro as Travis Bickle envisages a confrontation with a mugger and the classic line, “Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? In his mind he has worked through how the…
Read more

Good design is about function not decoration.

I recently spent some time discussing all things Presentation with an expert, Nicole Gugger. She had many insights into the nature and problems of presentation; she is an excellent presentation coach. One thing she made clear is that good design of…
Read more

The arc of a story

When my eldest was quite little she said one day that she didn’t want to see a movie. “It starts happy, there will be a sad bit, then the exciting bit and then the end. Why does there have to…
Read more

The maths of a better presentation

In my original post I proposed that a presentation is the product, rather than the sum of its parts. More than simply a construct of mathematics this is a model that allows a deeper understanding of the nature of presentations,…
Read more

If I could make just ONE change to improve, what should it be?

It’s clear that when a speaker steps off stage having giving an excellent presentation that a lot of work has gone into the finished article. Whether that is a business case to 5 people or oration to thousands, it takes…
Read more

It’s not what you said, it was how you said it!

Sideways is a book I loved when I first read it. The humour and pathos captured me, I was intrigued by the relationships and ultimately learnt what goes best with the best Pinot Noir. I hated the film. Shakespeare has…
Read more

Your presentation is the product of its parts

A presentation, whether it is an audit project, your research thesis, clinical teaching or a business case is made up of three parts: the presentation (the story), the presentation (the slideset) and the presentation (the delivery). The construction of the…
Read more